On Monday, ten Southeast Asian countries
officially launched a new tourism campaign built around the
slogan, Southeast Asia: feel the warmth.
The new campaign, with southeastasia.org
at its heart, will immediately target tourists in medium
and long haul markets such as the UK, Australia, India, North
America and Hong Kong, and will emphasize the warmth of Southeast Asia's
hospitality and climate as well as the diversity of the region's cultural
attractions and tourism activities. The ten participating
countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
His Excellency Pehin Dato Yahya,
Brunei's Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, told ASEAN
Tourism Forum delegates and media that the new campaign had been
built on four principles, "First, the fact that 'Southeast Asia'
has greater recognition in international source markets than
'ASEAN'. Second, the trust that online consumers now put in
meta-search tools and user-generated content. Third, the
importance of authenticity and 'warmth' in travelers' decision
making processes. And fourth, the tremendous opportunities that
Southeast Asia offers to visitors who are interested in exploring
niche themes such as culture, adventure, shopping, ecotourism,
island holidays, train travel, spa, culinary experiences, river
and sea cruises, and much more."
Mr Felix J. Cruz, Chairman
of the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) and Vice President for
Marketing at Philippine Airlines, said that the campaign had the
supporting objectives of promoting multi-destination travel within
Southeast Asia, boosting tourism as a tool to fight poverty in the
poorer areas of the region, and helping small and medium-sized
tourism enterprises showcase their tourism services to a wider
audience.
Above video: Just a few of the special moments from the
opening ceremony of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2010 which took place
in the Grand Ballroom at the Empire Hotel & Country Club in Brunei
Darussalam on the evening of 25 January 2010.
